MacBook Air refresh delayed by ULV Core i3/i5 shortage?

Apple’s MacBook Air is beginning to look a little long in the tooth, sticking with Core 2 Duo processors where rival Windows-based ultraportables start to pick up Intel’s newer Core i3 and i5 processors. According to HardMac, however, we may have to wait a little longer for a speedier Air; delays in ultra-low voltage (ULV) versions of the chips have apparently pushed Apple’s release plans back.

That could either mean an extra few weeks delay for the new i3/i5 MacBook Air models, or it could mean Apple are forced to pay a premium – and perhaps pass that on to early-adopters – for priority access to small quantities of the new ULV CPUs. It wouldn’t be the first time that Apple and Intel had worked together for priority access; the first-gen MacBook Air used specially-created ULV versions of existing processors not available to other manufacturers.